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2013 Spring Turkey Hunting megathread
- Thread starter StevieP
- Start date
Congrats!!
Congratulations! I'm dying to get my shot at one.
All the scouting I have done and I finally spotted some toms.. There at Dunkin Donuts!
And to think I have spent the last few afternoons in the woods... I had it all wrong. I'm swapping out my decoys for some coffee cups and a box of donuts.
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All the scouting I have done and I finally spotted some toms.. There at Dunkin Donuts!
And to think I have spent the last few afternoons in the woods... I had it all wrong. I'm swapping out my decoys for some coffee cups and a box of donuts.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
45collector
NES Member
Nice! first day-er! I gotta get out there. I took down a deer on my first day ever deer hunting, but for some reason the turkey gods have no love for me.
I had a hen and a tom walk out into the field not fifteen yards from me. I brought my gun up without scaring them just got a bead on the tom and crash Forrest Gump comes crashing through the woods holding a decoy like a football and fell flat on his face as the turkeys flew away. Will scout a new spot tonight.
45collector
NES Member
Well look at that. Several pages back, yes you did. Sorry, I didn't see your response. I'm anywhere from Carver to Mashpee on any given day.
45collector
NES Member
![[wink]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/002.gif "Wink [wink]")
45collector
NES Member
Well I appreciate the attempt to help me anyhow. My record with deer and waterfowl is decent, but I just haven't broken the turkey cherry yet. I think that's mainly because I just don't spend enough time with it. This time of year lots of my free time is spent fishing.
I wore none. And I am a HUGE pro-hearing protection while shooting fan.... Fact is... it is one shot, (maybe two if you miss, etc) and your adenaline is going, and when I made my shot, it wasn't bad at all. Yes, my ears rang for about a minute after but I figured I could do one round without hearing protection compared to the thousands I do with it.
I ran through so many different ideas/sanarios in my head too for this subject.. I did put one ear plug in at first, a Surefire EarPro one... Then it started to bother me HOURS later sitting there.. Also, I wasn't happy limiting my hearing ability for the sound of any turkeys walking up.. In the end, I realized that I was putting myself at a disadvantage by having hearing protection.
As far as trying to "put it in real quick"... Then the turkeys are near, NOTHING can be done "real quick", you'll spook them and off they go.
Got out this morning before the sun. We didn't see or hear anything all morning, save for a bunch of geese making a ruckus in a pond nearby. Called it quits around 9 and went to the range. Wouldn't you know it, a bunch of turkeys at the gun club. Likely the same flock that walked across the range while we were shooting AR-15s a couple weeks ago. They casually walked right across the top of the berm and couldn't have been less concerned about the gunfire.
Ran into about 3 hens and a couple rather young jakes this morning. Called them in to within 10 yards at the decoys, well within my bow range. Had a clear shot at one of the jakes before something spooked them. At least I know they are there now. Probably head back there later in the week. Wish I took the shot but oh well, wouldve filled my first turkey tag in the first hour of opening day. What an adrenaline rush though! Until then nothing more than hunting stories. ![[thinking]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/010.gif "Thinking [thinking]")
bdb
NES Member
It's for the turkeys. Many states have this. They do not want them pressured all day and interfering with nesting and later in the day roosting. Some debate how effective it is, some states do it and some don't. I hate many things about MA hunting, specifically the no sunday hunting BS but this is a rule I am OK with.
Ran into about 3 hens and a couple rather young jakes this morning. Called them in to within 10 yards at the decoys, well within my bow range. Had a clear shot at one of the jakes before something spooked them. At least I know they are there now. Probably head back there later in the week. Wish I took the shot but oh well, wouldve filled my first turkey tag in the first hour of opening day. What an adrenaline rush though! Until then nothing more than hunting stories.
Stop being so unselfish and waiting for me to get a shot and you'd have filled that tag.
Anyone even spotting toms in the wmas?
StevieP
NES Member
It was nice sleeping in this morning, with a ziplock bag full of wild turkey breasts in the fridge. I was going to de-head it, cut the legs, gut it, pluck it, and do it up in the deep fryer, but that just seemed like a helluva lot of work. So I just cut out the breasts (a pound+ each), and kept the tail feathers and beard.
Good luck, guys. I'll be going out some more this month to try to fill my second tag, but now that I've got my first it's not as urgent.
For a second, I might forego a jake (Yesterday I shot the first bearded bird I'd gotten in-range in three seasons), and hold out for a bigger trophy Tom.
Good luck, guys. I'll be going out some more this month to try to fill my second tag, but now that I've got my first it's not as urgent.
For a second, I might forego a jake (Yesterday I shot the first bearded bird I'd gotten in-range in three seasons), and hold out for a bigger trophy Tom.
